Telephony

Aliph Quickly Replaces Melted Jawbone

Marc is happy to report that Aliph really came through for him after he complained about Jawbone smoking and melting after he plugged it into his computer: More »

11:34 AM on Wed Nov 26 2008
By Ben Popken
4,850 views, 23 comments

defects

My Jawbone Melted

UPDATE: Aliph Quicly Replaces Melted Jawbone More »

8:43 AM on Tue Nov 25 2008
By Ben Popken
12,838 views, 77 comments

Most discussed Mikestan: I think bluetooth headsets are ridiculous. People walk around wearing them all day and night. I've even seen people wearing them more »

Reach TracFone Executive Customer Service

TracFone is a pre-paid wireless cellphone company that people enjoy for its low cost and hate for its customer service. The problem comes from their globally outsourced and non-integrated call centers. Problems don't get solved. Emails go unreturned. Problems get stuck in infinitely recursive loops. Here's a typical story from reader Susan, "I asked them to escalate this to a supervisor. Three days later, I get a response saying that they have investigated the problem and I should call their support line. When I called the support line, they had no details of any prior communication and no way to resolve the problem. So I am back at step one. " Luckily for you, she found the numbers to escalate complaints up to the corporate level and got it solved: 1-800-876-5753 or 1-800-339-9345.

4:25 PM on Fri Nov 21 2008
By Ben Popken
1,667 views, 31 comments

Most discussed Reenee: A couple years ago I bought a TracFone as a quick and brief way to call my dad to pick more »

kicking ass, saving money

Reader Saves $230 On Cable And Phone Bills By Rocking The Cancellation Threat

Here's how Stephanie saved $230 on her cable and phone bills after following the tips in "3 Ways To Lower Your Out Of Control Cable, Internet And Phone Bills" More »

8:53 PM on Mon Nov 17 2008
By Ben Popken
10,047 views, 39 comments

att

Threatening To Cancel Saves Man $65.52 On AT&T Phone Bill

Here's how with a little patience, persistence and pricematching, reader Scott is saving $65.52 on his phone and internet service with AT&T: More »

1:26 PM on Thu Nov 6 2008
By Ben Popken
10,663 views, 36 comments

deals

Get A New Sprint Line, Get Free Companion Airfare Ticket

Just found an extra deal for today from Sprint: Get a new Sprint phone line and get a free airline companion ticket, up to a $500 value. Get two tickets, up to a $1,000 value, with activation of a BlackBerry on a BlackBerry Plan or a Simply Everything Plan.

Sprintholidayoffer.com [Official Site via Fry's Forum] (Thanks to Luis!)

5:05 PM on Thu Oct 9 2008
By Ben Popken
1,952 views, 6 comments

Most discussed meefer: There's no contract requirement - you can buy any phone you like for the network you want, activate it, pay more »

debt collectors

I Told Off The Debt Collector

Some punkass debt collector called trying to get a hold of some lady he thinks my girlfriend knows. Here's roughly how the conversation went. Keep in mind I had just put a bunch of peanuts in my mouth... More »

5:52 PM on Wed Oct 8 2008
By Ben Popken
28,088 views, 102 comments

class actions

Ringtone Scam Class Action Settlement Announced

We've known how "free" ringtones and other "free" cellphone content comeons are often lures to get you signed up on a hidden monthly subscription, and now there's a class action lawsuit settlement to punish MobileMessenger, one of their purveyors. The settlement covers customers from every cellphone provider who bought content from January 1, 2005 to August 13, 2008. If you paid for your kids cellphone plan during that time, chances are they ordered some. You can check your bills for any the "short codes" (listed inside) or call 1-800-416-6129. The deadline for filing a claim is January 30, 2009. More information about Gray v. Mobile Messenger at cellphonedownloads.class-action-admin.com.

[via TopClassActions] More »

10:28 PM on Mon Oct 6 2008
By Ben Popken
2,129 views, 18 comments

Most discussed Bevill: People really pay for ringtones? Go download Audacity and you can chop apart your favorite songs for free. [audacity.sourceforge.net] more »

scams

Beware The Grannie Scammers

Watch out, grannie, there's a new scam out there and they've got your number. Like we told you last week, conmen are calling up elderly folk and using social engineering to pose as their grandchildren, and they need money money fast. Usually they say they were traveling in Canada and just got in a car accident and need thousands of dollars for repairs or bail. How do the scammers fool the grandparents? More »

12:31 PM on Mon Oct 6 2008
By Ben Popken
6,425 views, 32 comments

Most discussed elisa: Wait...didn't I read this article very recently on Consumerist? or am I finally starting to imagine things? more »

class actions

Join The Verizon ETF Class Action

Wanna get in on the Verizon Early Termination Fee class action settlement? I did and went to verizonETFsettlement.com just like the postcard told me. Basically, if you were a Verizon Wireless customer from July 23, 1999 to August 10, 2008, and you were either charged an ETF, whether you paid it or not, you could be eligible for a piece of a $21 million pie (after the attorneys get their fees first), just file a claim form by October 14. In typical fashion, I tried filing a claim but the site keeps timing out. Something to bookmark and check in on later and hope they fixed it. Even when you think you're giving Verizon its comeuppance, somehow you get screwed over. UPDATE: The website seems to be fixed now. By the way, at the end you will have to print out and mail in forms. They want you to attach documentation of your ETF. If you don't have documentation, you can still make a claim but you will get a lesser amount.

VerizonETFSettlement [Official Site] (Photo: Ben Vershbow)

11:34 AM on Fri Sep 12 2008
By Ben Popken
7,099 views, 51 comments

Most discussed BrianDaBrain: The form seems to be fixed now. After filling it out, though, I was presented with the following two options more »

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